Modular power distribution systems are well known and comprise a plurality of modular electrical components which are connectable serially together to route power throughout an office area. These power distribution systems often include elongate power distribution assemblies (PDAs) which are mountable within raceways of conventional space-dividing wall panels, furniture or other static structures such as building raceways.
One known power distribution assembly comprises an elongate rigid mounting rail which extends substantially along the length of a wall panel and supports a pair of connector blocks or power blocks on the opposite ends thereof. The support rail houses elongate electrical conductors or wires therein which conductors define a plurality of electrical circuits and carry such circuits between said power blocks. In this regard, the conductors typically define multiple circuits of hot, neutral and ground conductors.
These conductors extend into the power blocks and have their opposite terminal ends electrically connected to individual conductor strips or terminals within the power blocks. As such, the electrical circuits extend through the longitudinal length of the PDA wherein the power blocks include plug ports that provide access to the individual terminals and allow for plugging engagement of additional electrical system components thereto such as flex connectors, receptacles and the like.
Examples of such an electrical system are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,367,370 (Wilson et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 4,781,609 (Wilson et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 6,123,562 (King et al.) and U.S. Pat. No. 7,114,971 B1 (Johnson et al.), which are owned by Haworth, Inc., the co-Assignee of the present invention, and the disclosure of which patents is incorporated herein by reference.
Furthermore, a commercially available electrical distribution system is sold by Haworth, Inc. under the trademark Power Base. In the Power Base electrical system, the PDA's have relatively long, modular lengths which generally correspond to the modular length of a static structure such as a space-dividing wall panel. To join two serially adjacent PDA's together, a flex connector is provided with connector plugs at the opposite ends thereof wherein a cable extends between the connector plugs to span the space between the PDA's. Each of the connector plugs can plug into the power block of the PDA associated therewith such that the multiple circuits are carried from one PDA to the next PDA through the flex connector therebetween.
As to a known flex connector of the Power Base system, this flex connector includes a molded plastic cover enclosing the conductors, which cover includes transverse slots along the length thereof to facilitate flexing or bending of the flex connector. However, such plastic cover is relatively thick and has a relatively rigid, rectangular cross-section, such that the plastic cover still has resistance to bending and twisting of the cover. Further, the slots open into the interior of the cover which exposes portions of the conductors.
It is an object of the invention to develop an improved flex connector which has a simplified construction which facilitates assembly of the flex connector and permits bending of the flex connector during installation.
The invention therefore relates to a flex connector for modular power distribution systems of this type which incorporates an inventive flexible jacket which is joined at its opposite ends to the end connector housings and readily facilitates flexing, bending and even twisting of the flex connector.
The flex connector generally comprises end housings which define the connector plugs that allow for plugging connection of the flex connector between two serially adjacent PDAs provided as part of the electrical system. These housings contain a plurality of contact terminals therein wherein the contact terminals seat in the housings at the opposite ends of the flex connector and are connected together by lengths of the wire-like conductors that extend longitudinally between the opposite ends of the flex connector. These conductors have relatively long lengths such that the intermediate sections of the conductors span the space between the connector housings.
In a typical wall panel installation, the flex connectors extend between the raceways of two different wall panels, wherein the middle section of the flex connector must span or pass over vertical frame rails of the wall panels. There is minimal clearance space over these frame rails such that the conductors preferably are laid flat in parallel, side-by-side relation to minimize the height of the conductor bundle.
However, it can be undesirable to allow these conductors to remain exposed in use and as such, the inventive flex connector is provided with a flexible jacket which is formed in a relatively flat configuration and completely encloses the conductors which are laid side-by-side within the jacket. The opposite ends of the jacket are secured to the connector housings.
More particularly as to the jacket, the jacket is formed of one or more thin sheets of flexible jacket material, preferably plastic sheets, which define top and bottom jacket layers that are superimposed one above the other. The jacket layers may be formed as two separate layers laid one above the other, or may be formed from a single sheet of jacket material which is folded with the top layer folded above the bottom layer to enclose the conductors in parallel relation between the two jacket layers.
Once the jacket layers are positioned one above the other, whether by folding or positioning of two separate jacket sheets one above the other, the jacket layers have free edges which extend along at least one of the side edges of the jacket. These free edges are aligned and then immovably bonded to each other such as by heat sealing, adhesives or other suitable securing methods. This provides for fixed securement or fastening of the free edges of the jacket layers one to the other to enclose the parallel conductors within the hollow interior of the jacket. Since the jacket is formed from flexible sheet material, the flex connector has substantial flexibility for both bending and twisting while also maintaining the conductors in a row in parallel sidewardly adjacent relation to define a thin profile.
This provides for an improved structure of the flex connector. Further, the manufacturing process is improved.
The manufacturing process comprises the steps of: first positioning bottom housing sections in spaced apart locations which housing sections have a locator pin therein; laying a bottom layer of jacket material so that alignment holes at the opposite ends of the bottom sheet fit onto the locator pins; positioning the conductor wires on top of the bottom jacket layer with electrical terminals on the opposite ends of the conductors being positioned within the bottom housing section; positioning a top jacket layer so as to overlie the parallel conductors with alignment holes in the top layer being fitted on the locator pins so that the top and bottom jacket layers are aligned; positioning a top housing section on the bottom housing section and permanently securing same together so that the housing is finished wherein the finished housing fixedly secures the opposite ends of the jacket within the housing; and bonding the aligned, free edges of the top and bottom jacket layers together along their length which provides for fixed securement of the jacket layers along such free edges. This thereby provides an improved manufacturing process for assembling flex connectors of this type.
Other objects and purposes of the invention, and variations thereof, will be apparent upon reading the following specification and inspecting the accompanying drawings.
Certain terminology will be used in the following description for convenience and reference only, and will not be limiting. For example, the words “upwardly”, “downwardly”, “rightwardly” and “leftwardly” will refer to directions in the drawings to which reference is made. The words “inwardly” and “outwardly” will refer to directions toward and away from, respectively, the geometric center of the arrangement and designated parts thereof. Said terminology will include the words specifically mentioned, derivatives thereof, and words of similar import.